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Caribbean Empire
Sister articles:European Empire, Nordic Federation The Caribbean Empire is a imperial diarchy containing 36 future developed countries; Florida, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Yucatán, Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti, Central Hispaniola and Dominican Republic (then renamed Santo Domingo)), Jamaica, Cayman Island, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Marten, Sint Maarten, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Surimare, French Guinea and North Brazil. The Caribbean Empire was respected by almost every country (exept United States of America) and had a reputation of being supportive, respectful and helpful to other nations instead of being warlike and to create conflict like the United States Out of any country it's number 1 in the Human Developement Index and the Enviornmental Performance Index. Etymology The region takes its name from that of the Carib, an ethnic group present in the Lesser Antilles and parts of adjacent South America at the time of the Spanish conquest. The two most prevalent pronunciations of "Caribbean" are kair-ə-bee-ən, with the primary accent on the third syllable, and kə-rib-ee-ən, with the accent on the second. The former pronunciation is the older of the two, although the stressed-second-syllable variant has been established for over seventy-five years. It has been suggested that speakers of British English prefer kair-ə-bee-ən while North American speakers more typically use kə-rib-ee-ən, although not all sources agree.13 Usage is split within Caribbean English itself. History The history of the Caribbean reveals the significant role the region played in the colonial struggles of the European powers since the 15th century. In the 20th century, the Caribbean was again important during World War II, in decolonization wave in the post-war period, and in the tension between Communist Cuba and the United States (US). Genocide, slavery, immigration and rivalry between world powers have given Caribbean history an impact disproportionate to the size of this small region. Pre-imperial era Before European contact The oldest evidence of humans in the Caribbean is the Casirimoid culture in Cuba and Hispaniola which dates back to 4500 BCE and is associated with edge grinders similar to those used in Archaic Age Central America. There is also another series of Archaic Age sites discovered by Christi Torres Trinidad at Banwari Trace where 4000-year-old remains have been found. These sites, which belong to the Archaic (pre-ceramic) age, have been termed Ortoiroid. The earliest evidence of humans in the Lesser Antilles are from 2000 BCE in Antigua. A lack of pre-ceramic sites in the Windward Islands and differences in technology suggest that these Archaic settlers may have Central American origins. Whether an Ortoiroid colonisation of the islands took place is uncertain, but there is little evidence of one. Between 400 BCE and 200 BCE the first ceramic-using agriculturalists, the Saladoid culture, entered Trinidad from South America. They expanded down the Orinoco River to Trinidad, and then spread rapidly up the islands of the Caribbean. Some time after 250 CE another group, the Barrancoid entered Trinidad. The Barancoid society collapsed along the Orinoco around 650 and another group, the Arauquinoid, expanded into these areas and up the Caribbean chain. Around 1300 a new group, the Mayoid entered Trinidad and remained the dominant culture until Spanish settlement. At the time of the European arrival, three major Amerindian indigenous peoples lived on the islands: the Taíno in the Greater Antilles, The Bahamas and the Leeward Islands; the Island Caribs and Galibi in the Windward Islands; and the Ciboney in western Cuba. The Taínos are subdivided into Classic Taínos, who occupied Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, Western Taínos, who occupied Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamian archipelago, and the Eastern Taínos, who occupied the Leeward Islands.1 Trinidad was inhabited by both Carib speaking and Arawak-speaking groups. New scientific DNA studies have changed some of the traditional beliefs about pre-Columbian indigenous history. Juan Martinez Cruzado, a geneticist from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez designed an island-wide DNA survey of Puerto Rico's people. According to conventional historical belief, Puerto Ricans have mainly Spanish ethnic origins, with some African ancestry, and distant and less significant indigenous ancestry. Cruzado's research revealed surprising results in 2003. It found that, in fact, 61 percent of all Puerto Ricans have Amerindian mitochondrial DNA, 27 percent have African and 12 percent Caucasian. This scientific evidence shows that the official history of Puerto Rico has been incorrect. Colonial era Soon after the voyages of Christopher Columbus to the Americas, both Portuguese and Spanish ships began claiming territories in Central and South America. These colonies brought in gold, and other European powers, most specifically England, the Netherlands, and France, hoped to establish profitable colonies of their own. Imperial rivalries made the Caribbean a contested area during European wars for centuries. Spanish conquest During the first voyage of the explorer Christopher Columbus (mandated by the Spanish crown to conquer) contact was made with the Lucayans in the Bahamas and the Taíno in Cuba and the northern coast of Hispaniola, and a few of the native people were taken back to Spain. Small amounts of gold were found in their personal ornaments and other objects such as masks and belts. The Spanish, who came seeking wealth, enslaved the native population and rapidly drove them to near-extinction. To supplement the Amerindian labor, the Spanish imported African (slavery/slaves) (see also Slavery in the Spanish New World colonies) Although Spain claimed the entire Caribbean, they settled only the larger islands of Hispaniola (1493), Puerto Rico (1508), Jamaica (1509), Cuba (1511), and Trinidad (1530), although the Spanish made an exception in the case of the small 'pearl islands' of Cubagua and Margarita off the Venezuelan coast because of their valuable pearl beds which were worked extensively between 1508 and1530. Other European powers The other European powers established a presence in the Caribbean after the Spanish Empire declined, partly due to the reduced native population of the area from European diseases. The Dutch, the French, and the British followed one another to the region and established a long-term presence. They brought with them millions of slaves imported from Africa to support the tropical plantation system that spread through the Caribbean islands. =Milestones = * Francis Drake was an English privateer who attacked many Spanish ships and forts in the Caribbean, including San Juan harbour in 1595. His most celebrated Caribbean exploit was the capture of the Spanish Silver Train at Nombre de Dios in March, 1573. * British colonisation of Bermuda began in 1612. British West Indian colonisation began with St. Kitts in 1623 and Barbados in 1627. The former was used as a base for British colonisation of neighbouring Nevis (1628), Antigua (1632), Montserrat (1632), Anguilla (1650) and Tortola (1672). * French colonisation too began on St. Kitts, the British and the French splitting the island amongst themselves in 1625. It was used as a base to colonise the much larger Guadeloupe (1635) and Martinique (1635), St. Martin (1648), St Barts (1648), and St Croix (1650), but was lost completely to Britain in 1713. From Martinique the French colonised St. Lucia (1643), Grenada (1649), Dominica (1715), and St. Vincent (1719). * The English admiral William Penn seized Jamaica in 1655 and it remained under British rule for over 300 years. * Piracy in the Caribbean was widespread during the early colonial era, especially between 1640 and 1680. The term "buccaneer" is often used to describe a pirate operating in this region. * In 1625 French buccaneers established a settlement on Tortuga, just to the north of Hispaniola, that the Spanish were never able to permanently destroy despite several attempts. The settlement on Tortuga was officially established in 1659 under the commission of King Louis XIV. In 1670 Cap François (later Cap Français, now Cap-Haïtien) was established on the mainland of Hispaniola. Under the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, Spain officially ceded the western third of Hispaniola to France. * The Dutch took over Saba, Saint Martin, Sint Eustatius, Curaçao, Bonaire, Aruba,6 Tobago, St. Croix, Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Anguilla and a short time Puerto Rico, together called the Dutch West Indies, in the seventeenth century. * The Danish first ruled part, then all of the present U.S. Virgin Islands since 1672, selling sovereignty over these Danish West Indies in 1917 to the United States which still administers them. Slaves in the Caribbean The slaves brought to the caribbean lived in inhumane conditions. Above are examples of slave huts in Bonaire provided by Dutch colonialists. About 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide, between 2 to 3 slaves slept in these after working in near by salt mines. The development of agriculture in the Caribbean required a large workforce of manual labourers, which the Europeans found by taking advantage of the slave trade in Africa. The Atlantic slave trade brought African slaves to British, Dutch, French, Portuguese and Spanish colonies in the Americas, including the Caribbean. Slaves were brought to the Caribbean from the early 16th century until the end of the 19th century. The majority of slaves were brought to the Caribbean colonies between 1701 and 1810. Also in 1812 there was a slave revolution in the colony of barbados. The following table lists the number of slaves brought into some of the Caribbean colonies: Abolitionists in the Americas and in Europe became vocal opponents of the slave trade throughout the 19th century. The importation of slaves to the colonies was often outlawed years before the end of the institution of slavery itself. It was well into the 19th century before many slaves in the Caribbean were legally free. The trade in slaves was abolished in the British Empire through the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1807. Men, women and children who were already enslaved in the British Empire remained slaves, however, until Britain passed the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833. When the Slavery Abolition Act came into force in 1834, roughly 700,000 slaves in the British West Indies immediately became free; other enslaved workers were freed several years later after a period of forced apprenticeship. Slavery was abolished in the Dutch Empire in 1814. Spain abolished slavery in its empire in 1811, with the exceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Santo Domingo; Spain ended the slave trade to these colonies in 1817, after being paid ₤400,000 by Britain. Slavery itself was not abolished in Cuba until 1886. France abolished slavery in its colonies in 1848. Marriage, separation, and sale together "The official plantocratic view of slave marriage sought to deny the slaves any loving bonds or long-standing relationships, thus conveniently rationalising the indiscriminate separation of close kin through sales. "From the earliest days of slavery, indiscriminate sales and separation severely disrupted the domestic life of individual slaves." Slaves could be sold so that spouses could be sold separately. "Slave couples were sometimes separated by sale .... They lived as single slaves or as part of maternal or extended families but considered themselves 'married.'" Sale of estates with "stock" to pay debts, more common in the late period of slavery, was criticized as separating slave spouses. William Beckford argued for "families to be sold together or kept as near as possible in the same neighburhood" and "laws were passed in the late period of slavery to prevent the breakup of slave families by sale, ... but these laws were frequently ignored". "Slaves frequently reacted strongly to enforced severance of their emotional bonds", feeling "sorrow and despair", sometimes, according to Thomas Cooper in 1820, resulting in death from distress. John Stewart argued against separation as leading slave buyers to regret it because of "despair, ... utter despondency, or 'putting period to their lives'". Separated slaves often used free time to travel long distances to reunite for a night and sometimes runaway slaves were married couples. However, "sale of slaves and the resulting breakup of families decreased as slave plantations lost prosperity." Colonial laws European plantations required laws to regulate the plantation system and the many slaves imported to work on the plantations. This legal control was the most oppressive for slaves inhabiting colonies where they outnumbered their European masters and where rebellion was persistent, such as Jamaica. During the early colonial period, rebellious slaves were harshly punished, with sentences including death by torture; less serious crimes such as assault, theft or persistent escape attempts were commonly punished with mutilations, such as the cutting off of a hand or a foot. Under British rule, slaves could only be freed with the consent of their master, and therefore freedom for slaves was rare. British colonies were able to establish laws through their own legislatures, and the assent of the local island governor and the Crown. British law considered slaves to be property, and thus did not recognize marriage for slaves, family rights, education for slaves, or the right to religious practises such as holidays. British law denied all rights to freed slaves, with the exception of the right to a jury trial. Otherwise, freed slaves had no right to own property, vote or hold office, or even enter some trades. The French Empire regulated slaves under the Code Noir (Black Code) which was in force throughout the empire, but which was based upon French practises in the Caribbean colonies. French law recognized slave marriages, but only with the consent of the master. French law, like Spanish law, gave legal recognition to marriages between European men and black or Creole women. French and Spanish laws were also significantly more lenient than British law in recognizing manumission, or the ability of a slave to purchase their freedom and become a "freeman". Under French law, free slaves gained full rights to citizenship. The French also extended limited legal rights to slaves, for example the right to own property, and the right to enter contracts. Impact of colonialism on the Caribbean Economic exploitation The exploitation of the Caribbean landscape dates back to the Spanish conquistadors around 1600 who mined the islands for gold which they brought back to Spain. The more significant development came when Christopher Columbus wrote back to Spain that the islands were made for sugar development. The history of Caribbean agricultural dependency is closely linked with European colonialism which altered the financial potential of the region by introducing a plantation system. Much like the Spanish enslaved indigenous Indians to work in gold mines, the seventeenth century brought a new series of oppressors in the form of the Dutch, the English, and the French. By the middle of the eighteenth century sugar was Britain's largest import which made the Caribbean that much more important as a colony. Sugar was a luxury in Europe prior to 18th century. It became widely popular in 18th century, then graduated to becoming a necessity in the 19th century. This evolution of taste and demand for sugar as an essential food ingredient unleashed major economic and social changes. Caribbean islands with plentiful sunshine, abundant rainfalls and no extended frosts were well suited for sugarcane agriculture and sugar factories. Following the emancipation of slaves in 1833 in the United Kingdom, many liberated Africans left their former masters. This created an economic chaos for British owners of Caribbean sugar cane plantations. The hard work in hot, humid farms required a regular, docile and low-waged labour force. The British looked for cheap labour. This they found initially in China and then mostly in India. The British crafted a new legal system of forced labour, which in many ways resembled enslavement. Instead of calling them slaves, they were called indentured labour. Indians and southeast Asians, began to replace Africans previously brought as slaves, under this indentured labour scheme to serve on sugarcane plantations across the British empire. The first ships carrying indentured labourers for sugarcane plantations left India in 1836. Over the next 70 years, numerous more ships brought indentured labourers to the Caribbean, as cheap and docile labor for harsh inhumane work. The slave labor and indentured labor - both in millions of people - were brought into Caribbean, as in other European colonies throughout the world. The “New World” plantations were established in order to fulfill the growing needs of the “Old World”. The sugar plantations were built with the intention of exporting the sugar back to Britain which is why the British did not need to stimulate local demand for the sugar with wages. A system of slavery was adapted since it allowed the colonizer to have an abundant work force with little worry about declining demands for sugar. In the 19th century wages were finally introduced with the abolition of slavery. The new system in place however was similar to the previous as it was based on white capital and colored labor. Large numbers of unskilled workers were hired to perform repeated tasks, which made if very difficult for these workers to ever leave and pursue any non farming employment. Unlike other countries, where there was an urban option for finding work, the Caribbean countries had money invested in agriculture and lacked any core industrial base. The cities that did exist offered limited opportunities to citizens and almost none for the unskilled masses who had worked in agriculture their entire lives. The products produced brought in no profits for the countries since they were sold to the colonial occupant buyer who controlled the price the products were sold at. This resulted in extremely low wages with no potential for growth since the occupant nations had no intention of selling the products at a higher price to themselves. The result of this economic exploitation was a plantation dependence which saw the Caribbean nations possessing a large quantity of unskilled workers capable of performing agricultural tasks and not much else. After many years of colonial rule the nations also saw no profits brought into their country since the sugar production was controlled by the colonial rulers. This left the Caribbean nations with little capital to invest towards enhancing any future industries unlike European nations which were developing rapidly and separating themselves technologically and economically from most impoverished nations of the world. Wars The Caribbean region was war-torn throughout much of colonial history, but the wars were often based in Europe, with only minor battles fought in the Caribbean. Some wars, however, were borne of political turmoil in the Caribbean itself. Thirty Years' War between the Netherlands and Spain. The First, Second, and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars were battles for supremacy. Nine Years' War between the European powers. The War of Spanish Succession (European name) or Queen Anne's War (American name) spawned a generation of some of the most infamous pirates. The War of Jenkins' Ear (American name) or The War of Austrian Succession (European name) Spain and Britain fought over trade rights; Britain invaded Spanish Florida and attacked the citadel of Cartagena de Indias in present-day Colombia. The Seven Years' War (European name) or the French and Indian War (American name) was the first "world war" between France, her ally Spain, and Britain; France was defeated and was willing to give up all of Canada to keep a few highly profitable sugar-growing islands in the Caribbean. Britain seized Havana toward the end, and traded that single city for all of Florida at the Treaty of Paris in 1763. In addition France ceded Grenada, Dominica, and St.Vincent to Britain. The American Revolution saw large British and French fleets battling in the Caribbean again. American independence was assured by French naval victories in the Caribbean, but all the British islands that were captured by the French were returned to Britain at the end of the war. The French Revolutionary War enabled the creation of the newly independent Republic of Haiti. In addition in the Treaty of Amiens in 1802 Spain ceded Trinidad to Britain. Following the end of the Napoleonic War in 1814 France ceded St.Lucia to Britain. The Spanish-American War ended Spanish control of Cuba (which soon became independent) and Puerto Rico (which became a US colony), and heralded the period of American dominance of the islands. Piracy in the Caribbean was often a tool used by the European empires to wage war unofficially against one another. Gold plundered from Spanish ships and brought to Britain had a pivotal effect on European interest in colonizing the region. Slave rebellions The plantation system and the slave trade that enabled its growth led to regular slave resistance in many Caribbean islands throughout the colonial era. Resistance was made by escaping from the plantations altogether, and seeking refuge in the areas free of European settlement. Communities of escaped slaves, who were known as Maroons, banded together in heavily forested and mountainous areas of the Greater Antilles and some of the islands of the Lesser Antilles. The spread of the plantations and European settlement often meant the end of many Maroon communities, although they survived on Saint Vincent and Dominica, and in the more remote mountainous areas of Jamaica, Hispaniola, Guadeloupe and Cuba. Violent resistance broke out periodically on the larger Caribbean islands. Many more conspiracies intended to create rebellions were discovered and ended by Europeans before they could materialize. Actual violent uprisings, involving anywhere from dozens to thousands of slaves, were regular events, however. Jamaica and Cuba in particular had many slave uprisings. Such uprisings were brutally crushed by European forces. Caribbean slave uprisings (1522–1844)source | editbeta The following table lists slave rebellions that resulted in actual violent uprisings: Independence Haiti, the former French colony of Saint-Domingue on Hispaniola, was the first Caribbean nation to gain independence from European powers in 1804. This followed 13 years of warfare which commenced as a slave uprising in 1791 and quickly became the Haitian Revolution under the leadership of Toussaint l'Ouverture, where the former slaves defeated the French army (twice), the Spanish army, and the British army, before becoming the world's first and oldest black republic, and also the second-oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere after the United States. This is additionally notable as being the only successful slave uprising in history. The remaining two-thirds of Hispaniola were conquered by Haitian forces in 1821. In 1844, the newly-formed Dominican Republic declared its independence from Haiti. The nations bordering the Caribbean in Central America gained independence with the 1821 establishment of the First Mexican Empire - which at that time included the modern states of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. The nations bordering the Caribbean in South America also gained independence from Spain in 1821 with the establishment of Gran Colombia - which comprised the modern states of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. Cuba and Puerto Rico remained a Spanish colonies until the Spanish American War in 1898, after which Cuba attained its independence in 1902, and Puerto Rico became an unincorporated territory of the United States, being the last of the Greater Antilles under colonial control. Between 1958 and 1962 most of the British-controlled Caribbean was integrated as the new West Indies Federation in an attempt to create a single unified future independent state - but it failed. The following former British Caribbean island colonies achieved independence in their own right; Jamaica (1962), Trinidad & Tobago (1962), Barbados (1966), Bahamas (1973), Grenada (1974), Dominica (1978), St. Lucia (1979), St. Vincent (1979), Antigua & Barbuda (1981), St. Kitts & Nevis (1983). In addition British Honduras in Central America became independent as Belize (1981), British Guiana in South America became independent as Guyana (1966), and Dutch Guiana also in South America became independent as Suriname (1975). Islands currently under European or United States administration It should be noted that as of the early 21st century, not all Caribbean islands have become independent. Several islands continue to have government ties with European countries, or with the United States. French overseas departments and territories include several Caribbean islands. Guadeloupe and Martinique are French overseas regions, a legal status that they have had since 1946. Their citizens are considered full French citizens with the same legal rights. In 2003, the populations of St. Martin and St. Barthélemy voted in favour of secession from Guadeloupe in order to form separate overseas collectivities of France. After a bill was passed in the French Parliament, the new status took effect on 22 February 2007. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are officially insular areas of the United States, but are sometimes referred to as "protectorates" of the United States. They are administered by the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) within the United States Department of Interior. British overseas territories in the Caribbean include: Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten are all presently separate constituent countries, formerly part of the Netherlands Antilles. Along with Netherlands, they form the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Citizens of these islands have full Dutch citizenship. History of relations with the US Since the Monroe Doctrine, the United States gained a major influence on most Caribbean nations. In the early part of the twentieth century this influence was extended by participation in The Banana Wars. Areas outside British or French control became known in Europe as "America's tropical empire". Victory in the Spanish-American war and the signing of the Platt amendment in 1901 ensured that the United States would have the right to interfere in Cuban political and economic affairs, militarily if necessary. After the Cuban revolution of 1959 relations deteriorated rapidly leading to the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis and successive US attempts to destabilise the island. The US invaded and occupied Hispaniola (present day Dominican Republic and Haiti) for 19 years (1915–34), subsequently dominating the Haitian economy through aid and loan repayments. The US invaded Haiti again in 1994 and in 2004 were accused by CARICOM of arranging a coup d'état to remove elected Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide. In 1965, 23,000 US troops were sent to the Dominican Republic to quash a local uprising against military rule. President Lyndon Johnson had ordered the invasion to stem what he claimed to be a "Communist threat", however the mission appeared ambiguous and was roundly condemned throughout the hemisphere as a return to gunboat diplomacy. In 1983 the US invaded Grenada to remove populist left-wing leader Maurice Bishop. The US maintains a naval military base in Cuba at Guantanamo Bay. The base is one of five unified commands whose "area of responsibility" is Latin America and the Caribbean. The command is headquartered in a Miami, Florida office building. As an arm of the economic and political network of the Americas, the influence of the United States stretches beyond a military context. In economic terms, the United States represents a primary market for the export of Caribbean goods. Notably, this is a recent historical trend. The post-war era reflects a time of transition for the Caribbean basin when, as colonial powers sought to disentangle from the region (as part of a larger trend of decolonization), the US began to expand its hegemony throughout the region. This pattern is confirmed by economic initiatives such as the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), which sought to congeal alliances with the region in light of a perceived Soviet threat. The CBI marks the emergence of the Caribbean basin as a geopolitical area of strategic interest to the US. This relationship has carried through to the 21st century, as reflected by the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act. The Caribbean Basin is also of strategic interest in regards to trade routes; it has been estimated that nearly half of US foreign cargo and crude oil imports are brought via Caribbean seaways. During wartime, these figures only stand to increase. It is important to note that the US is also of strategic interest to the Caribbean. Caribbean foreign policy seeks to strengthen its participation in a global free market economy. As an extension of this, Caribbean states do not wish to be excluded from their primary market in the US, or be bypassed in the creation of “wider hemispheric trading blocs” that stand to drastically alter trade and production in the Caribbean Basin. As such, the US has played an influential role in shaping the Caribbean’s role in this hemispheric market. Likewise, building trade relationships with the US has always figured in strongly with the political goal of economic security in post-independence Caribbean states. Economic change in the 20th century The mainstay of the Caribbean economy, sugar, has declined gradually since the beginning of the 20th century, although it is still a major crop in the region. Caribbean sugar production became relatively expensive in comparison to other parts of the world that developed their own sugar cultivation industries, making it difficult for Caribbean sugar products to compete. Caribbean economic diversification into new activities became essential to the islands. Tourism By the beginning of the 20th century, the Caribbean islands enjoyed greater political stability. Large-scale violence was no longer a threat after the end of slavery in the islands. The British-controlled islands in particular benefited from investments in the infrastructure of colonies. By the beginning of World War I, all British-controlled islands had their own police force, fire department, doctors and at least one hospital. Sewage systems and public water supplies were built, and death rates in the islands dropped sharply. Literacy also increased significantly during this period, as schools were set up for students descended from African slaves. Public libraries were established in large towns and capital cities. These improvements in the quality of life for the inhabitants also made the islands a much more attractive destination for visitors. Tourists began to visit the Caribbean in larger numbers by the beginning of the 20th century, although there was a tourist presence in the region as early as the 1880s. The United States-owned United Fruit Company operated a fleet of "banana boats" in the region that doubled as tourist transportation. The United Fruit Company also developed hotels for tourist accommodations. It soon became apparent, however, that this industry was much like a new form of colonialism; the hotels operated by the company were fully staffed by Americans, from chefs to waitresses, in addition to being owned by Americans, so that the local populations saw little economic benefit. The company also enforced racial discrimination in many policies for its fleet. Black passengers were assigned to inferior cabins, were sometimes denied bookings, and were expected to eat meals early before white passengers. The most popular early destinations were Jamaica and the Bahamas; the Bahamas remains today the most popular tourist destination in the Caribbean. Post-independence economic needs, particularly in the aftermath of the end of preferential agricultural trade ties with Europe, led to a boom in the development of the tourism industry in the 1980s and thereafter. Large luxury hotels and resorts have been built by foreign investors in many of the islands. Cruise ships are also regular visitors to the Caribbean. Some islands have gone against this trend, such as Cuba and Haiti, whose governments chose not to pursue foreign tourism, although Cuba has developed this part of the economy very recently. Other islands lacking sandy beaches, such as Dominica, missed out on the 20th century tourism boom, although they have recently begun to develop eco-tourism businesses, thus diversifying tourism options in the Caribbean. Financial services The development of offshore banking services began during the 1920s. The close proximity of the Caribbean islands to the United States has made them an attractive location for branches of foreign banks. Clients from the United States take advantage of offshore banking services to avoid U.S. taxation. The Bahamas entered the financial services industry first, and continues to be at the forefront of financial services in the region. The Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the Netherlands Antilles have also developed competitive financial services industries. Shipping Ports both large and small were built throughout the Caribbean during the colonial era. The export of sugar on a large scale made the Caribbean one of the world's shipping cornerstones, as it remains today. Many key shipping routes still pass through the region. The development of large-scale shipping to compete with other ports in Central and South America ran into several obstacles during the 20th century. Economies of scale, high port handling charges, and a reluctance by Caribbean governments to privatize ports put Caribbean shipping at a disadvantage. Many locations in the Caribbean are suitable for the construction of deep water ports for commercial ship container traffic, or to accommodate large cruise ships. The deep water port at Bridgetown, Barbados, was completed by British investors in 1961. A more recent deep water port project was completed by Hong Kong investors in Grand Bahama in the Bahamas. Some Caribbean islands take advantage of flag of convenience policies followed by foreign merchant fleets, registering the ships in Caribbean ports. The registry of ships at "flag of convenience" ports is protected by the Law of the Sea and other international treaties. These treaties leave the enforcement of labour, tax, health and safety, and environmental laws under the control of the registry, or "flag" country, which in practical terms means that such regulations seldom result in penalties against the merchant ship. The Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Antigua, Bermuda and St. Vincent are among the top 11 flags of convenience in the world. However, the flag of convenience practice has been a disadvantage to Caribbean islands as well, since it also applies to cruise ships, which register outside the Caribbean and thus can evade Caribbean enforcement of the same territorial laws and regulations. Imperial era During the early 2030's, Ismael was elected to be the president of Dominican Republic. Later he successfully took control of Haiti and established Hispaniola throughout voting. Then he established Central Hipaniola to move the capital there the same way he control Haiti ans started to control surrounding nation to establish the Caribbean Empire. Since then, they lived in peace and equality for the next millennium. Post-imperal era After the Caribbean-American War the US took control of the Caribbean from the 4th millennium to the 5th millennium. Dark ages For almost a century and a half after the war, the Caribbean was destroyed. Then a plague spreader through the Caribbean, killing Caribbeans and Americans that lived there. Then this epidemic spread to the whole of the United States, killing millions of people. Light ages After the epidemic ended, Americans rebuilded buildings and cities to claim it their own. The American culture now became the norm in the Caribbean and this continued until the early 5th millennium. Re-imperial era A Perez-Valerian with his wife hosted an election whenever the Caribbean was liberated. Most people said to liberate the Caribbean, this the Second Caribbean Empire was born. Central Hispaniola Central Hispaniola is a territory between Haiti and Dominican Republic in the country Hispaniola that contains Centre, Elías Piñas, and San Juan. Belladère-Comendador Belladère-Comendador is a city containing the Royal District. The Royal District contains a castle shaped like a hexagon with a 6-pointed star in the middle built with the parts of the hospital both rulers were born that has the main court to hold concerts, gatherings and trials on the first floor, 6 classrooms of each political party on the second floor, 6 rooms were betas of each province in each political party passes laws to the alphas on the third floor and offices where secretaries work on the fourth floor. There's a maze on the basement and bellow it is the house where the alphas live and work. It also contains the CSS headquarters (Lobby on the first floor and offices and factories on the basement) The Perez-Valera International Airport, The Perez-Valera Hospital, The Central Bank of the Caribbean Empire, The Perez-Valera School and College, The Royal Fire Department, few buildings containing King Ismael Perez I's companies, apartment buildings and hotels, the Belladére-Comendador stock exchange market, the Grand Gingko tree, a big dog (Caribbean Collie) statue, and a golden statue of King Ismael Perez I and Queen Yamalis Valera I kissing each other and crying (tears made out of diamond) with their family grave underground. Below The neighborhood is a high-tech supercomputer accessible via the castle and the CSS headquarters. A secret train system that goes through all the important landmarks in the Caribbean are located there. Caribbeanism Caribbeanism (also known as Perezism-Valeraism) are group of ideas Caribbeans normally follow. Pacifism Pacifism is the opposition to violence. It is a crime to threaten, touch, strike and kill plants, animals and human beings. It's anti-militarist, having no military. For protection a group, called the Caribbean Security Service (CSS) will place cameras and sensors within the empire and around the empire in all streets and corners, in all veichles, in all rooms in builings (exept bedrooms and bathrooms) for visualizing activities. In order for the empire to have control of other territories outside the imperial border, for a territory to separate from the empire or for territories within the empire want to take control of another territory or create a new territory within the empire citizens from both territories whenever or not the idea should or should not be made. If 50% or more of the citizens agree on an idea, then that idea should be made, otherwise, it's aborted. Doveism The Caribbean Empire will try not to bother and create conflict with foreign countries with the absence of espionage teams and try to help them. Vegetarianism Caribbeans are lacto-vegetarians because eating meat from animals is considered an offense, since the killing of any animals is illegal. Anti-discrimination and Anti-bullying The first amendment of the Caribbean constitution doesn't allows anyone to use discriminative or insulting words, as well as profanity, or else they are subjected to a fine. Gender Interdependency The Caribbeans believe that males and females are under a interdependency, not just in biological reproduction. A law states that no facility shall be segregated by gender exept public bathrooms, change rooms and prisons. Marriage Caribbeans believe that both the husband and the wife must agree on a decision in order to be made. If on or both couples disagree with a decision, it's aborted. They also have to share bank accounts. This also goes to homosexual or polygamist matrimonies and relationships as the LGBT people are a supportive part of gender dependency. Equalism Caribbeans believe anyone, black or white, male or female, should have equal rights, follow the same laws and go through the same consequences. Masculism and Feminism In the empire, both men and women had equal power. A group called the International Ambisexual Rights Union are masculists and femenists around the world working together to fight against sexism and gender inequality all around the world. In the IARU headquarters, they will be a gender scale that measures gender equality in the Caribbean Society. Democracy Though Caribbeans cannot choose their leaders, they have the right to vote on laws, and decisions in the empire or with other countries because the people need to be comfortable with the laws and decisions of the empire. Influence The Caribbean Empire was so powerful and so well developed, that it influenced every country on earth, even The United States of America, bringing people the idea of peace and equality Neo-puritanism The Caribbean Empire was somewhat neo-puritainistic. It was against the law to curse or verbally discriminate, use of sex and extreme violence as entertainment, air real footage of murders and sexual assault, alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Demographic (Ginkgo biloba caribbean), the imperial plant of the Caribbean Empire, chosen due to its longest living fossil record and endurance.]] The Caribbean Empire has its own language, currency and culture. Language Caribbean is the primary language of the empire that came straight from the Greek language, though all nouns and pronouns are neuter. English, Spanish and French, though are secondary languages, and all students and people planing to enter the empire for the first time are required to know the Caribbean, English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Portuguese, French based Creole (written and in braille) and Caribbean sign language. Religion As long as the religion is not satanist or unholy, all other holy religions, as well as atheism are allowed. Food Because Caribbeans are strictly lacto-vegetarians, they can only eat non-meat and non-egg products, like salads, rice and beans, brown rice, fruits and other foods. Foods Caribbeans are legally allowed to consume are called Epitrepst (literally means allowed). If you go to a fast food restraint in the empire that sell meat product in other countries (eg McDonalds, Burger King etc.) the food will be vegetarian. It will sell veggie bugles (burgers with Fake beef patty made out of vegetable matter.) and veggie chicken nuggets (made out of false chicken meat). Most city trees bare fruit for pedestrians to eat. Music Apalimousiki (literally means soft music) is a genre of music originated from the Caribbean Empire and it's played on the ukulele and the genre is usually romantic. Reggae, Salsa, Merengue and other pre-imperial Caribbean music is part of the empire's musical culture. Measurement of time The measurement of time is based on the movement of the universe. The time starts when the universe was created. Currency Caribos are the main currency of the empire. It's nearly 50% more the value than the American dollar. It also accepts other currencies. Health The life expectancy of the Caribbean Empire is 388.9 years. Three years higher than the US. Obesity is very rare, as meat is illegal and there's a legal limit of how much fat sugar, salt and cholesterol should be on a serving of food. Alcoholism is also rare as alcoholic drinks are illegal. Tobacco products are also illegal so less chance of lung cancer. Fossil fuel and gas-powered cars are not allowed to enter the empire, so less people get asthma and thus the Environment Performance Index is 99.9. There's also a ban to nuclear and biological products to lower the risks of sickness and radiation exposure. There would be refillable disinfecting sprays in all areas of all walls, spraying mist of disinfecting substances over the streets and hallways. The spray also has a sensor so it won't accidentally spray at pedestrian, animals and objects. Hand sanitizers will be available on every corner of the street and hallways for pedestrians to wash their hands. It's illegal to urinate or defecate on trees and other plants and city trees are protected by a fence around it. Fortunately, bathrooms and litter houses are located at the corner of the street, so as drinking fountains and a drinking pool for pets. Daily at 7:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 6:30 PM, the government will give food to people, animals and plants in the empire and developing countries. Education People are required to go to school at the age of 2 all up to the age of 15. From the age of 16 onward, they go to universities. They have to go to school 7 days a week from 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM (Doctunal services) and from 12:00 AM to 9:00 AM (Noctunal services). They won't be any holiday breaks or summer vacation and people graduate grades annually on January 1st. If the minor's parents doesn't take their child to school and are not in an emergency or have a medical appointment, the parents must pay a fine. Teachers, counselors and therapists of schools and colleges are requiered to be adults, have doctorates of education, psychology and for the subject they teach and must be parents. The government will pay money for private and religious schools for students below the poverty line. If they have school in foreign areas, the Caribbean Foreign Service (CFS) will give programs in certain schools so they can learn the imperial laws, The Caribbean, English, Spanish and French language and Caribbean philosophy from the start of school to 6:30 PM, 7 days a week. Crime and Law Enforcement Before anyone enters the empire for the first time (whenever if it's an ancestral citizen or a complete foreigner) must know and recognize all of the imperial laws. All citizens must have a book of all the imperial laws. Specific laws will sometimes be displayed on some billboards. Cameras will be placed on every area of the street, every vehicle and every house, exept bathrooms and bedrooms. Watch people will guard each building and having access to all cameras within and around the house as they live in a room near the lobby. The CSS will take control of all crimes against imperial laws, investigations of a crime and incoming terrorist vehicles coming into the empire. Visitors must have a visa and they can only stay for two months and they will get deported and banned from entering the empire if they break an imperial law. Another thing is that all Caribbean citizens must follow most (not all) of the imperial laws and fill taxes. If they break an imperial law resulting a fine, the fine will be sent to them, but it results prison, the citizen will be repatriated and sent to jail in the empire. If a citizen got deported from another country due to breaking their national crime, they will pay the consequences in the empire according to their jail time if the crime was also an offense in the Caribbean, the empire's jail time will be added. CSS officer will also patrol other countries for arresting all residents that break their national, state/provincial or city law and Caribbean citizens that break the imperial law. Home and Business Security Caribbean homes and foreign homes were Caribbean citizens live have a police officer, a fire fighter and a nurse with a service dog in a room where they live, sleep and guard the rest of the building or house they live. They have monitors of the cameras in each home there patrolling. If one is in an emergency, there's three emergency buttons in each room; a blue button with a badge (police officer), a red button with flame (fire fighter), and a green button with a cross (nurse). Border Control They will be a big, long wall around the empire marking its border called the Diamond Ring of the Caribbean. It will have cameras looking around all areas and sensors on the side of gates and the top of the walls control intruders and incoming planes and boats. Some patrols will be in charge of the gates while others will look around at the top. Since citizens can easily cross the empire, visitors first they need a passport, attend a class of Caribbean law to take a test and get Caribbean pass. For citizens that want to go to other countries, they first have to know there law, do a test and follow their requirements for entering. When entering the Caribbean, they will be a screen of the recent laws and bills under debate. The language varies depending on what country you're coming from (English if entering from the US, Spanish if entering from Mexico, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia and Portugal if entering from Brazil.) when leaving the empire, there will be screens showing the recent laws and laws under debate in countries displayed in Caribbean you're about to enter. Prisons Prisons were very comfortable. At the front is the living room. Back of the living room is a very short hallway. Left of the hallway is the bathroom and right of the hallway is the kitchen. At the back is the bedroom. The prisoners have to pay bills for the cells and can only leave with permission. When they leave, they must walk with a guard. There not allowed to leave the empire or rent or buy houses and apartments. Symbols Flag The Caribbean flag will have 6 colors of the rainbow from top to bottom; red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. In the center of the flag, there's a peace sign in form of a hexagon with 36 hexagrams representing the countries within the empire surrounding it. (Note: The flag is not exactly as described here, but I picked the best one there is.) Great Seal The great seal will be a color star with a hexagonal peace sign in the middle. It is placed in a ring that says "Caribbean Empire - The Land of the Rainbow". (Note: I haven't selected or design a Great Seal,but I will try to find or make one as soon as possible,) Economy The Caribbean currency, the Caribo is worth 3.61357 US dollars which is the highest-valued currency. It is a capitalist-mixed economy. The empire is the largest exporter and the third largest importer. The common exports are agricultural goods, machinery, veichles, security systems, metals, medicine, and electricity. Some major companies are own by King Ismael Perez I as he earns lots of money for his empire. The largest corporation are the International Eco-electricity Company (IEEC), Telecom International and and the International Transit System (ITS) all own by the Caribbean government. Children spend money since there about 5 years old. When kids do the right thing, their parents and teachers often pay them and they take away the child's money each time he's or she's doing the wrong thing, which prepares them for adulthood. Infrastructure As th roads improve, they had been wider than before. On every road, theres arrows pointed at the direction of the legal direction and theres a strip of LED lights at the edges of the side walks that turns green when it's ok to walk, flashes red when the time is running out and stays red when it's not ok to walk. There are still spotlights though. The time to walk and stop is about 30 minutes.There are also signs and there are also words labeled on the road to indicate the speed limit, the stop sign, where bikes are allowed and if theres a school near by. You may see a wide green area near sidewalks that indicates the area where parking is allowed. There are bridges connecting to islands throughout the Caribbean Highway System. The transit system is the International Transit Service (ITS) own by the Caribbean government. Age restriction There are restrictions set to 3 major age groups, infant (ages 0-1) toddler (ages 2-4), child (ages 5-11), teenager (ages 12-16) and adult (ages 17+). Minors Minors are most protected by law after señor citizens. Infants Infants are citizens aged 0 and 1. All the crimes they had committed are not the responsibility of the person nor their parents. For minors ages 6 to 17, if they disrespect an adult, they will be fined. Toddlers Toddlers are citizens from ages 2 to 4. They are required to go to school from this age until they reach the 12th grade. All the crimes they had committed are the responsibility of their parents. Children Children are citizens from ages 5 to 11. Since their are old enough to make opinions, they can vote and choose schools under the permission of their parents. There are punishable by their parents if they commit any crime (If it's a crime that results in life in prison, then the government will punish them.) It's against the law for parents to not punish their kids after they commit a crime. They also have to respect adults by law, or else they get fine. It also goes to teenagers. Teenagers Teenagers or "little adults" are citizens from ages 12 to 16. They are allowed to do typical adult activities (eg. get married, have sex) under parental permission. They old enough be punished by the government. Adults Adults are citizens from ages 17 and up. When citizens turn to that age, they must hold their birthday at the castle and be automatically proclaimed an adult. This ceremony is known as Mighty Seventeen. They are old enough to be independent and marry and have sex without permission of their parents. If they commit any crimes, their penalty is twice the penalty receives a teenager for the same crime (For ages 17 to 299.). For a minor to be proclaim an adult, their parents must declare a document that the minor is responsible enough have the rights of an adult. They must show written proof that the minor is responsible and both parents and the minor must sign the document. Señor Citizens Señor Citizens are citizens ages 300+. There are more protected than minors and their penalty is half the penalty teenagers receive for the same crime. Caribbean Media Rating System The Caribbean Media Rating System (CMRS) is a very strict rating system used to control content of video games, TV shows, books, images, videos, websites and movies produced in and imported into the empire. According to the Caribbean Media Rating System Act, it is required that this information to be present in commercials, before a movie or video game starts and at the first page of a book or magazine. If anyone sells level 4 medias to minors, the seller will be fined. Another thing is that all consoles, computers and cable/satellite boxes have an ID scanner to ensure if the user is a minor or an adult. They will also be ID scanners in level 3 and level 4 books and magazines. Level 4 books and magazines can't have details on the front and back cover. Legend Watersheds During 10:00 PM to 12:29 AM and 4:30 AM to 5:29 AM shows and movies on level 3 can be aired. 12:30 AM to 4:29 PM, it is allow to air level 4 shows and movies only in programs that doesn't have shows for children. From 4:30 PM to 12:29 AM, no shows and movies at level 4 and level 3 can be aired. Banned Content War-based games or use of sex or level 3 and level 4 violence and use of tobacco alchohol and drugs for entertainment is ban for import and production in the empire. Relationships with other empires United Stated of America The Caribbean Empire was allied with The United Sates of America, though the empire was worried about the US on its display of violence. That's until United States of America destroyed the empire and by force became part of there country. European Empire The Caribbean Empire had a closer relationship with The European Empire than the US, as it was more pacifist. Holidays System of Government The Emperors, also known as the alphas, consist of two or more people married to each other. There are the ones that signs bills into laws, pay for citizens and construction within and outside the empire and give money to other governments of developing countries. Power is usually passed down to a family member in a lower generation and his or her spouse(s) that is first to marry when one or both of the the current couple dies or divorces. This imperial system of government is known as a constitutional gamyarchy or a constitutional matrimonial polyarchy. Rulers of a country or states, also known as betas, can be a president or a king depending on their system of government. They are responsible of the laws in their country. They decide whenever or not a law should be passed to the alphas. If even one beta disagrees on the law, then the law is aborted. Rulers of a division of a country (or a territory in Hispaniola) are called gammas and rulers of divisions of those divisions are called deltas and so on. Every divisions and subdivisions have a ruler, even a neighborhood, the smallest division, has a ruler. Citizens, including prisoners, called omegas, are people either born in the empire (true citizens), born outside the empire but decedent from a Caribbean-born kin (ancestral citizens) and residents (foreigners that don't have Caribbean decent that live within the empire). All true and ancestrial citizens must be officially initiated in the castle at the Royal District in Belladère-Comendador immediately after birth. Citizens that grow up in other countries must attend a school with teachers to teach them the Caribbean law and languages. All citizens must have an identification card (ID) and must follow the laws in or out of the empire. They have the rights to vote for laws before passed to betas. Parties There are 6 political parties, each represented by the colors in a rainbow, hence the flag and coat of arms. King Ismael Perez I and Queen Valera I were both part of the Yellow-Green party, or economic liberals. Laws The laws must comply with the constitution and the law is outlined very neatly and descriptively. For each statement, there's the statement number, the statement itself and the reason. At the bottom, there's a space that both the king and the Queen must sign in. Amendments Fall of The Empire As the US was expanding their territory, they wanted to annexate the empire as there state. There was a debate, but most people chose for the empire to stay independent. As the US grew impatient, American soldiers invade the empire, destroying buildings, including the castle causing the death of the last of the two emperors ruling and by force, becoming the state of the US. The event is known as the Caribbean-American War. CSS solders didn't use warfare to attack soldiers. Instead, they shielded themselves and try to arrest American soldiers without violence. Revival A thousandth generation Perez-Valerian revived the Caribbean Empire (Named the Second Caribbean Empire). Opinions 1.Would you like to live in The Caribbean Empire? Yes. Somewhat. No. Not sure. 2. What would you if The Caribbean Empire came into existence? Be proud to be a citizen. Protest peacefully. Rebell violently. Renounce my citizenship and move elsewhere. Marry a prince/princess to become emperor. Destroy the empire. Other. 3.What do do you like about the Caribbean Empire? Peace and antimilitary. Hospitality. Cleanness. Other. Neither. 4.What you don't like about the Caribbean Empire? Restrictions. Other. Neither. 5.What do you want from the Caribbean Empire? Military. Peace. Cleanness. Freedom. Anarchy. Communism. Democracy. Restrictions. Equality. Other. Neither. 6.Which is better? Caribbean Empire. Europe. USA. Other. 7.Do you agree on the idea of Caribbeanism? Yes. Somewhat. No. Not sure. 8.What idea you mostly agree Pacifism. Vegetarianism. Equalism. Indirect democracy (select laws, not leaders). Neither. If you have any more opinions, visit the talk page. External links Wikipedia:History of the Caribbean Future:Caribbean Empire